Yulia Navalnaya discusses Putin, Ukraine, and political ambitions in first major Russian-language interview since her husband’s death
On Wednesday, the independent news outlet TV Rain published a nearly two-hour interview with Yulia Navalnaya — the first she’s given in Russian since her husband, Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, died in an Arctic Russian prison in February 2024. During the conversation, Navalnaya spoke about the war in Ukraine, the controversies surrounding Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, and her vision for her political future. Meduza shares key quotes from the interview.
TV Rain
On what a just ending to the war would look like:
It would have been just for this war never to have started. But because it did start… [justice would be] for Vladimir Putin to stop attacking peaceful Ukrainian cities and to withdraw all troops from the territory of Ukraine, today. That would be just, and it should happen immediately. This should be the outcome of the war. Of course, unfortunately, it’s clear that this isn’t going to happen right now, but if you ask me what the outcome of the war should be, this is it: Vladimir Putin should take his troops and withdraw them from Ukraine’s territory. He should lose this war.
On her political activity:
I probably am a politician, if that’s what you want to hear from me. Of course I’m involved in politics. I speak at various events and meet with world leaders. Yes, at first, everyone expressed their condolences, but now we’ve moved to discussing the political situation in Russia and talking about Vladimir Putin’s political regime.
On Russia’s defeat:
Of course, no, [I don’t wish for my country’s defeat]. Your question sounds as if Vladimir Putin is my country. But Vladimir Putin is not my country. Vladimir Putin is a man who has seized control of my country. Who’s held on to power for almost 25 years, using any means necessary. That doesn’t mean I wish for my country’s defeat; it means I wish for Vladimir Putin’s defeat as soon as possible, immediately. Both within the country and, especially, after he’s invaded a neighboring state.
On whether she wants Putin to die:
I truly don’t wish death on any of these people [Vladimir Putin and the FSB agents who poisoned Navalny]. I would like these people to be held accountable. It would be wonderful if we won, and Putin ended up in prison in Kharp, [the village where Navalny died in prison]. And watched as Russia, a country that has suffered so much, transformed into a normal democratic country. I would want him to see that we all defeated him. That’s very important.
On her own ambitions:
I haven’t said anything about [running for] president. A BBC journalist asked me whether I would participate in elections. And I answered that I would. That’s it. After that, the media speculated about this on their own. But at the same time, of course, I have political ambitions, and if the opportunity arises, I will seek leadership positions in Russia.
On the Anti-Corruption Foundation’s relationship with banker Alexander Zheleznyak
It’s indeed the case that the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) is going through difficult times, but I don’t think that’s only about the FBK. I think everyone is going through very, very tough times right now. The Anti-Corruption Foundation has never laundered, doesn’t launder, and will never launder the reputation of bankers or anyone else — it’s not true. It’s a lie. I want to acknowledge that it was a mistake to get involved with, I would say, dubious people. At the same time, I want to thank Alexander Zheleznyak, who, it seems to me, helped in a difficult situation, and I felt that he did this completely selflessly. […] Of course, I’m concerned about the moral aspect — that we’re being accused supporting bankers. But we’ve, of course, never supported any bankers.
The banking scandal that broke Russia’s anti-Kremlin opposition
On whether the FBK should unite with opposition politician Maxim Katz
I understand that politics is about negotiations. But at the moment, I don’t see any need to unite with Maxim Katz, because it seems to me that he just endlessly wants to draw attention to himself. We probably just don’t have the time, the opportunity, or the energy for that right now — there are completely different tasks at hand. I wouldn’t say that Maxim Katz is against Putin. It seems to me that for many years, Maxim Katz was against Alexey, and then he fought against Alexey in prison, while simultaneously fighting with the FBK, and now I see that his supporters are fighting against me. I don’t see much of a fight against Putin or the current regime.
On whether Navalny’s release was possible
I really believed that Alexey would be free. I believed in that. As for Vladimir Putin letting Alexey go, I probably had less belief in that. With each passing day that Alexey spent in prison, it became clearer that this could drag on for a very, very long time. But I’ve always believed in the good, and I had so much faith in Alexey. I felt like we would overcome everything.